Glossary for the Modern Soap Maker

Used in loaf, tube and column molds. Soap embeds are of a contrasting color and shape such as moon and stars, curls and ribbons.

Emollient

An additive used to soften or soothe your skin. Cocoa butter or Shea butter are added to handmade soap as an emollient.

Emu Oil

Refined from the fat of the bird, the oil is used in a variety of cosmetics for it's skin nourishing properties.

Emulsifying Wax

Used to combine oils with water when manufacturing lotions and creams.

Emulsion

A stabilized blend of oils and water such as a lotion, the suspension of one liquid within a second liquid which normally do not mix.

Enfleurage

The process of extracting the aromatic essences from plants using odorless fats to absorb the oils from flowers. The fat is then dissolved in alcohol to separate the essence from the fat and distilled to remove the alcohol.

EO

Essential oil.

Epsom Salt

Hydrated magnesium sulfate. A white crystalline powder used in bath preparations and foot soaks. Originally obtained from the mineral waters found in Epsom, England.

Essential Oil

Highly concentrated volatile oil extracted from aromatic plants, most commonly through pressing or steam distillation. Used for fragrance and flavorings.

Exfoliant

An abrasive added to slough off dead skin cells, such as oatmeal or ground cinnamon.

Expeller Pressed

The process in which an oil is extracted from a base by mechanically crushing and pressing the material at temperatures less than 220░ Fahrenheit.